Let me all give you a bit of advice. If your son/daughter is playing ODP and the coaches seem like they think she is pretty good, FIND OUT WHEN/WHERE EVERY ECNL/ACADEMY TEAM TRYOUT IS IN THE SPRING AND TAKE YOUR SON/DAUGHTER TO THE TRYOUT!!!

ODP is OK for those who cant make an ACADEMY/ECNL roster. And whether you believe that last statement or not, it is what EVERY COLLEGE COACH BELIEVES!!!

My daughter was the best player on a team with 20K Got soccer points, top 20 in country, played ODP for years, but didn't get real money thrown at her until she set foot on an ECNL field. At that point college coaches realized that she could play.

One coach even said wow she has gotten a lot better now that she is on the ECNL team, after about 5 practices. Total BS, but the simpleminded College coaches have bought into the hype.

This made me laugh! But rings of truth. But each player has to look at their options locally. It may be that the realistic ECNL team in their age group in the area is really bad, poorly coached, too many players on roster, etc. College coaches can't be that blind. The smart ones know the difference.

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